Running in the winter can be tricky because of the mixed conditions that often exist. I find this to especially be true when spending time in the Catskills. The routes that I run typically are a mix of paved and unpaved roads. In the winter, depending on when it last snowed, the last plow, if the sun is out, etc., one can encounter everything from snow, to mud, and dry pavement, to solid ice (sometimes all on the same road!). I have some friends who wear the elastic mini crampons in the winter. I think that those would be awesome for a run that is entirely on snow or ice. But when pavement and dirt/mud are also in the mix, I feel like they would probably wear out in a handful of miles.
In lieu of using crampons I decided to give trail shoes a shot for running in these types of conditions. A few years back I picked up a pair of Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 6 on sale, to give them a try. They were great in most sketchy winter conditions, except for solid ice with a smooth surface. I liked them so much that I wore the cleats down to little nubs. As a replacement last fall, I picked up these Nike Wildhorse 7 Men’s Trail shoes. They give me all of the same traction that I got from the Kigers, but are about 20x more comfortable. The insoles are noticeably cushier, and there are extra little bits of foam where they are needed most (right behind the achillies, and in the arch). These kicks have met my expectations in the grip department (they also don’t feel like cleats on the dry pavement), and exceeded them in terms of comfort. I highly recommend them for winter miles.
